Thumbstick Athletes

Just a few short days before the beginning of PAX East 2013, gamers were treated to an announcement from Supergiant Games about their new game titled Transistor. Supergiant Games is the creator/developer of the wonderful and critically acclaimed Bastion, played by 3 out of the 4 Thumbstick Athletes and highly recommended by said Athletes. The announcement, in the form of a teaser trailer which can be viewed below, gives some of the background for the story of the game, as well showing off some of the stunning artwork that we would expect from the creators of the very beautiful Bastion.

Unlike Bastion, Transistor takes place in a Sci-Fi, cyberpunk setting and stars Red, a woman who comes to possess a powerful and rad-looking sword. Her possession of the sword angers a mysterious enemy who seems determined to get it back. Transistor retains the isometric viewpoint of Bastion, but adds another level of strategy to combat by allowing the player to freeze combat and plan out their next series of attacks and combos. Red will then carry out the player's commands with the (hopefully) desired effect. Red is only allowed a certain amount of attacks and movements while combat is frozen, and the player is free to take their time in figuring out their next course of action.

Gorgeous visuals........check.

Transistor is expected to be out in early 2014, with no announcements for availability on specific platforms. It's probably safe to say it will readily available on several different platforms, as you can buy Bastion for almost everything. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say it will be on PC though, many indie devs appreciate the ease of distribution through services like Steam. I can't wait for Transistor, as Bastion was a delight to play and I generally prefer the science fiction setting to the fantasy setting. The new combat mechanics appear to work really well in tandem with the more action oriented elements from the previous game. The team at Supergiant Games seem to have built upon the already awesome groundwork laid down by Bastion, so yeah.....I'm giddy for Transistor.

By the way, if you haven't already played Bastion, please do so immediately.